India Sports

ICC Women’s World Cup 2017: India reaches finals as Harmanpreet Kaur squalls over Australia

ICC Women’s World Cup 2017: India reaches finals as Harmanpreet Kaur squalls over Australia
It was completely Harmanpreet Kaur’s show as India reaches the finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup for the second time by defeating six-times champions Australia in the second semi final of the tournament. Harmanpreet completely thrashed Australia by scoring over 60% of runs of entire Indian innings singlehandedly. Harmanpreet scored 171-runs off just 115-balls with the fabulous strike-rate of 148.70 hitting a total 7-sixes 20-fours in her inning. Harmanpreet reached her hundred in 90-balls but then Harmanpreet awakened the monster in her and scored next 71-runs in just 25-deliveries. Out of India’s 139-runs in the last 11-overs of the innings, 108-runs came out of Harmanpreet’s bat.

 

Earlier India won the toss and elected to bat first, lost Smriti Mandhana int he very first over, in the tenth over of the 42-overs India lost its second opener too when the score was just 35-runs. Then captain Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet made efforts to build the innings from there, after the end of 20 overs – nearly the halfway mark, India had only 70-runs on the scoreboard, both Raj and Harmanpreet were scoring at the strike rate of around 50-runs. Captain Mithali went back to the pavilion by the end of the 25th over, but after her wicket, the next batsman 19-year old Deepti Sharma, who was playing against the mighty Australia for the second-time only stuck on the crease for 137-runs with Harmanpreet.

Meanwhile, in the pressurising chase, Australian lost three early wickets at just 26-runs, However, by the end of their innings in 41st over Australia made 245-runs but they were never in the game.

India will now play the final against host England on Sunday at Lord’s, a stadium where India won its first ever ICC World Cup in 1983. Indian women have reached the finals of the tournament for the first time after 12-years and only for the second time in the history of the ICC Women’s World Cup. While England’s only defeat in the entire tournament came against India in the first match.

About the author

Shubham Jain